Humanity And Paper Balloons is in my mind one of the most visually beautiful Japanese films ever to grace cinema. This is seen as director Sadao Yamanaka greatest film who tragically was sent to fight in world war II on the day of its release, he died in Manchuria in 1938, aged just 29. When this film is viewed it will become apparent how big a loss he was to artistic directing.
The story begins in 18th century Japan with a poor Ronin called Matajuro living in a poor district of Tokyo with equally poor lower social class people. He continually looks for work while his wife, Otaki, makes paper balloons at home. Then a barber named Shinza impulsively kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy merchant and hides the daughter at Matajuro's house. Tragicly there desperate plan backfires with heavy penalties when a ransom attempt goes wrong. The story, that begins and ends with suicide, is deeply pessimistic, it consistently through out the film projects that life in feudal Japan for those at the foot of the social ladder was short and deprived.
This film is very hard to view now a days, but fortunately is out on DVD with the masters of cinema collection which is extremely fortunate as this is one of the greatest samurai film ever made. Ironic really seeing as there isn't a fight scene in it.
The story begins in 18th century Japan with a poor Ronin called Matajuro living in a poor district of Tokyo with equally poor lower social class people. He continually looks for work while his wife, Otaki, makes paper balloons at home. Then a barber named Shinza impulsively kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy merchant and hides the daughter at Matajuro's house. Tragicly there desperate plan backfires with heavy penalties when a ransom attempt goes wrong. The story, that begins and ends with suicide, is deeply pessimistic, it consistently through out the film projects that life in feudal Japan for those at the foot of the social ladder was short and deprived.
This film is very hard to view now a days, but fortunately is out on DVD with the masters of cinema collection which is extremely fortunate as this is one of the greatest samurai film ever made. Ironic really seeing as there isn't a fight scene in it.